Tortall Now
by Anna Mo
Summary: In this apocalyptic coming of age story the strength Tortall's heroes is tested by more than the physical enemies of the world. Can this be the end of the Kingdom of Tortall? Who is this new enemy? Friendships and believes are strained as the world comes crumbling down around them. Will they make it through and can they trust those that are sent to help or is it too late?
1. Chapter 1

**I've been rereading all of the books and had a brain blast with this. Just putting it out there and seeing what people think. Share the love let me know your thoughts and suggestions! Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce is all knowing and all owning. Those you don't recognize are mine. I apologize for spelling/grammar errors. **

**Enjoy, Anna Mo.**

**Chapter 1: Bleak**

**4 weeks ride from Tortall Castle.**

The stench reached us before anything else. The wind brought us hints of burnt wood saturated in the smell of copper and sulfur. Burnt flesh, a sickly sweet concoction of human destruction, and we were getting used to this. We moved our face coverings over our noses and pushed our mounts forward. Trees spread across the valley and opened to a clearing, on a quick glance I calculated it was a village of one hundred. Now? Who knows how many survived? I signaled for a halt. I could feel the anger radiating off the squad, ten villages in three moons, we were nowhere closer to answers. The raiders struck in the dead of night and moved like whispers on the wind. No warning, no sound, even the animals gave no notice.

"Captain your orders?" Sargent Greden asked on my right. I looked once more over the village and watched as a mother carried the lifeless body of a child towards the death cart, my fists clenched. Turning to my squad I gave the orders for them to fan out and help in whatever way possible. I was going to contact the King's Own and tell them… tell them we were too late, again.

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**Meanwhile - Tortall **

"How do we fight an enemy we cannot see!" Shouted Lady Knight Alanna, Champion of Tortall; Turning she grasped the window ledge in front of her, attempting to reign in her temper and miserably failing.

"Calm down-"

"DO not tell me to calm down Jonathan! How can you just sit there?!"

"What would you have me do Alanna!" Questioned the King. He sat in a plain winged chair at the head of the table surrounded by maps, reports, scrying mirrors and magical scrolls. Alanna turned to her longtime friend and one time lover. The years had treated him well, his chiseled chin was strong as ever and the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes gave him an even more regal quality. His once black hair was dusted with gray and his royal blue eyes were not as bright as they once had been. King Jonathan's shoulders slumped and he scrubbed his face with his hands attempting to rub the weariness from his throbbing head. Alanna sighed and slid her hands on her breeches. In five quick steps she was at his side resting her worn hands on his temples.

"Alanna…" whispered Jonathan. All she could do was hush him. She sent her purple magic across his temples and brow easing the head ache and allowed her magic to move to his shoulders, maybe this way she could bear some of his weight. Once she was done she sat in the chair to his left leaving her hand on his. "I wish Thayet were here." He said as he leaned back in his chair looking into the fireplace, it was only embers now he noticed.

King Jonathan glanced back down at Alanna's hand on his; absent mindedly he moved his thumb across her fingers. His thoughts wondered back in time to when things were happy. His children on his knee, kissing his wife; lost in his trance he took no notice of the single tear that slid down his cheek. Alanna squeezed his hand and reached to wipe the moisture off his face. These were trying times in the kingdom; Tortall was waging a war only the gods could help them win now. Alanna prayed to the mother goddess every night and every morning. George prayed to his trickster god and everyone she knew prayed to any that would listen. She wasn't sure they would make it out of this one and that frightened her.

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**Let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**And we're back! Tamora Pierce is all knowing all owning. Mistakes are mine. Enjoy!**

_Previously: These were trying times in the kingdom; Tortall was waging a war only the gods could help them win now. Alanna prayed to the mother goddess every night and every morning. George prayed to his trickster god and everyone she knew prayed to any that would listen. She wasn't sure they would make it out of this one and that frightened her._

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**Chapter Two: Meeting**

**Kel's POV – 4 weeks ride east of Corus (Tortall's castle)**

Her hands creaked and her back ached, the many hours spent hunched over reports and maps along with hours of pounding nails into wood. This village was in complete disrepair, how they would survive the coming winter – groaning she settled her head in her hands, she felt old. The past ten years had been full of happiness and heartache. Her beloved Domitian had lost his leg four years ago in a stupid skirmish with Scanran raiders, by the time he made it to a healer infection had set in and from the knee down was a total loss. The infection had started to spread up his thigh and the poor village healer had to make the hard decision, save his life or his leg. Kel was secretly happy, not that about his leg, but it gave her piece of mind that their two children Raoul who was five, and Ilane who was three would have their father to protect them. Thunder rolled in the distance. 'Great' she thought. Rolling up the parchment she called for her messenger birds and tied the coded document to their feet. "Take this to the palace, fast please." The Snipe bobbed its head and picked at the seeds in Kel's hand, then took off.

"Captain! Come quickly!" Shouted one of the members of her squad. Kel jumped up so fast she knocked over her stool and raced out of her tent. Two squad members were holding up a body and Sargent Greden was putting a cup to the lips of the newcomer. She stopped her tracks taking in the scene. His hands were ghostly pale, even in the twilight, fingers were bony and long, but his face that is what trapped her in her place. His eyes were sunken so far in that they barely touched the bones, his face was ashen and almost translucent, but how was he alive! Alarm bells rang in her mind startling her into motion.

"What happened?" She asked calmly and knelt beside them. "Bring a healer!" She voiced over the crowd. A cool hand found its way to hers

"No." cracked the man "Waist" he started coughing again, and they put water to his extremely chapped lips. 'His lips should be bleeding.' Kel thought to herself. "Must." The man in front of her wheezed. "tell." He coughed again.

"Tell us what?" Kel could barely keep the irritation out of her voice.

"Bad." Cough cough "sh-sh-shhhhad." Cough cough "Sdow." His body convulsed again from coughing.

"Bad Shadow?" Kel asked, the others looked at her confused. "What about the bad shadow?"

"D-Death trail." The man wheezed out attempting to grip the shoulders of his rescuers. "Death trail," he repeated. This time his focus turned and pointed into the woods. The shell of the man's body went slack his head dropped back at an inhuman angle and gurgling was heard from with in. Silence permeated the air no one dared say a word. Kel's mind raced, this was the first potential lead they had had in six months and he was dead. Slowly she got to her feet.

"Bring a stretcher let's lay him –" she stopped her two squad members had dropped the man's body and scattered back. A menacing voice gasped and hissed out of the cavern that once was the man's mouth. As if time stood still Kel watched as the body's arms floated into the air followed by his chest then torso. All too soon the body was levitating in the air, feet barely touching the ground, its head was still cocked backward. A scream was heard from somewhere in the crowd and the laugh grew. The head yanked itself up and faced Kel once more; a slight gasp passed her lips. The eyes they were turning black… it crept towards his inner eye slowly encompassing the whites only leaving blood red spheres at the center. An evil grin started to spread across his lips. It was unnatural as if two fingers placed themselves at the corner of the mouth and were forcing the muscles to move. A laugh more evil than she had ever heard reverberated with in her bones, she could feel the cold iciness of death grip her neck, with out warning her vision starts to blur as she struggles against the icy hand clasped around her neck, vaguely she could hear her men shouting. But, that laugh was taking up her mind filling it to the corners; the blackness drew her under.

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